Looking for balance

26. Cards on the table

Thanks to KellicintheButt69 for your comment.

Thanks to KumaZura for proofreading this chapter.

Enjoy your reading.

***

The next morning during breakfast, Luffy suddenly waved his cutlery with one hand while the other continued to stuff a bun into his mouth. "Itsh time to vishit the shity!" His crew gave him an uninterested look and continued to eat, carrying on with their discussions.

"Swallow before you speak," His cook grumbled, clearing the dishes already emptied.

The captain swallowed and spoke again with a big smile. "It's time to visit the city!"

"I'm all for stretching my legs!" Brook immediately got enthused.

"I have the impression that there are many plants and flowers on this island; I can't wait to know their properties," Chopper added.

"That is correct, there is a large zoological garden where the fauna and flora of the archipelago are depicted," Robin confirmed, drinking her coffee.

"Luffy, you must know something for this island visit," The navigator said, turning to him.

"What, what? It's an island covered with meat?!"

Nami stared at him for a second, jaded. Drool was dripping from his mouth in anticipation of her answer and she decided to simply ignore this unappealing picture. "It's not an island covered with meat, Robin just told you its specificity is plants," She replied as the captain's face fell. "So what you need to know is that if you keep quiet ashore, I'll ask Sanji to prepare you a special meal tonight."

"A special meal?! What is it?!" He exclaimed, wild with excitement. He abruptly turned to his cook and clung on to his arm. "Sanji! Tell me what it is!" He begged him.

"We'll decide if you deserve it," The redhead interrupted him, "It means no fighting and no attention drawn to us all day. You think you can do that?"

"I'll be good!" The straw hat boy assured her, getting up to support his words. "I want the special meal!"

The captain then sat down again and began to swallow his breakfast in silence, surprising all his crew. "Food blackmail, it's awfully clever," Franky said to Nami.

"Why didn't we ever think about it before?" Usopp wondered, staring at his friend in astonishment.

"I don't know how long it's gonna last so let's take advantage of it," Nami admitted, taking a sip of tea peacefully.

***

Sanji was drying his dishes absently. Nami had told the crew to meet in an hour on the deck, giving time for everyone to get ready to discover the new island and he should have felt as excited as the others at this prospect but he wasn't. Since he knew the reason for his concern, he didn't dwell on it. He had decided that the evening would probably be the best time for a discussion with the swordsman and despite his nervousness, he was planning to spend a day as normal as possible by then. So when he heard the galley door open behind his back, he turned towards it without thinking before freezing when seeing Zoro enter the room.

"What do you want, marimo man?" He asked, trying to sound relaxed.

"My special meal. I didn't get it last night," The swordsman replied with confidence.

"Wh-What?"

The fencer casually approached and stopped a few inches from the cook who was staring at him. "So, that special meal?" He kept on, a greedy gleam into his eyes.